The use of rolling desk chairs is a common site in almost any office environment. Typically these rolling desk chairs include castors affixed to each leg which allow the chair to glide along the floor surface. While these chairs roll easily on hard tile or wood surfaces they are extremely difficult to roll when used on carpeted surfaces. As such, it is common to resort to the use of hard plastic chair mats to facilitate rolling as well as to protect the flooring surface. Unfortunately, the visual appearance of such floor mats is very aesthetically unappealing. These mats are usually fabricated from rigid vinyl or laminate and can crack or otherwise become damaged over time. Additionally, these mats are usually large and heavy and are often difficult to store, move, or fit into smaller rooms. Once furniture is in place, it can be almost impossible to properly position these unwieldy mats. Another disadvantage of conventional chair mats is situations where the chair rolls off of the edge of the mat and onto the carpeted surface, which often times requires the user to stand up and physically position the chair back upon the mat.
Some mats have attempted to solve some of these problems, such as including decorative visual elements to provide some aesthetically appealing characteristics or providing pliable materials having a smooth surface which lay on the carpeted surface. Examples of these mats can be seen by reference in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,103,333, issued in the name of Keith, which discloses a wood veneer laminated chair mat; and, 6,319,592, issued in the name of Ney et al., which discloses a decorative floor mat for use with a chair. While these mats may accomplish there intended purpose, the problem of portability and convenient positioning remain.
Other floor mats and tile systems provide a plurality of interconnecting members. These mats are typically intended for use as play mats or other floor coverings and provide a cushioned material. Examples can also be seen by reference in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,909,996, issued in the name of Ettinger, Jr. et al., which describes a modular floor mat; 4,287,693, issued in the name of Collette, which describes an interlocking rubber mat; 5,052,158, issued in the name of D'Luzansky, which describes a modular locking floor covering; and, 5,970,541, issued in the name of Chiang, which describes a modular mat. While these mats provide varying degrees of modularization which may make them more portable, none are suited for use with rolling chairs.
All of these devices may accomplish their specific intended purpose; however, each suffers from one (1) or more disadvantage or deficiency with respect to design, function, or effectiveness. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the protective features of office chair floor mats can be provided without the aforementioned disadvantages. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.